The Mystery Admirer
by Joshua Falken

Thanks to Tracy Miller for beta-read this fic :-)

Chapter 3 - Unlikely Encounters

There were two days before Christmas. With a sad expression in her face, the beautiful, red-haired woman dressed in an elegant long black coat and black fedora gazed at the Christmas tree situated along the side of the ice skating rink. Lost in her thoughts, she got surprised when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

The mystery admirer turned and saw the object of her affection. Before her it was Gary Hobson.

After a moment of shock silence from both, he said:

"Then, it was you."

Afraid that he was angry with her, she tried to run out of there, but he held her by the arm.

"Please, don't run." he pleaded.

Their lips were very close. Overwhelmed by emotion, their lips touched.

And it was on that moment that she opened her bright eyes and saw herself face to face with the muzzle of a teddy bear. When noticing that it had been just a dream, she was very disappointed. With a sigh, the mystery admirer got up from the bed, wrapping herself with a blanket and went to take a shower. In the way, she activated her Cd-Player and Mozart's Symphony Number 41 filled the apartment.

While she was under the shower, the redhead noticed that the hot water made the marks in her arms and body more visible. "This shows how good my choice was.", the mystery admirer mumbled bitterly, when she remembered the result of such choice. Shaking her head, the mysterious redhead was decided to forget that. Dressing the black leather pants and the white T-shirt that she always dressed before leaving of the bathroom. This way she was not very exposed to the cold. While she combed her shoulder-length hair, she looked at the calendar on the table: one week to Christmas. She still had some gifts to buy...

The mystery woman began a ritual that repeated everyday: while she heard Mozart, she dressed a black leather jacket over the white T-shirt, a black leather knee-high skirt over her pants. She put on a pair of black high-heeled long pipe boots. And finally, she wore an elegant, but heavy long black trenchcoat. That dream had left her very depressed. To the sound of the symphony, she began to dance, imagining that she danced with her lover. Her movements and of her open coat had a surprising grace. But when the music ended, the woman in the black coat returned to the reality.

"Can I be more pathetic than that?", she wondered.

The mystery admirer closed her black coat, raising its collar. Then she put her beret, her pair of tight gloves and her dark glasses.

With a sad sigh, she left her apartment.

======

Later, on that same day, Gary Hobson talked about his mysterious stalker to Detective Paul Armstrong.

"Let me see if I understand this: Yo you say that a woman who you don't know is following you through Chicago and leaving a red rose and card everyday for you?"

"Yes."

"And that this "mystery woman", seemingly well athletic by your description, likes to get dressed like Carmen Sandiego.". Armstrong tried hiding his smile, but he could not. Gary noticed and concluded that the detective was not taking him seriously.

"Armstrong, I'm telling you the truth. See the cards." Gary now had five cards from her. In that moment, he let the Paper fall to the ground and he saw a headline jumping to his eyes. Meanwhile, the policeman examined the evidence and he noticed that was a woman's handwriting.

"Alright, Hobson. I will see what I can do."

"Thank you." Armstrong shook his head when seeing that Gary had gone out of his office in a hurry. He wondered if some day he would understand the enigma of that guy. Returning to the mystery that Gary had brought to him, he began to think: a very fast woman dressed with a black coat, impassioned by Gary. The handwriting in the cards was very similar with one that he knew.

Armstrong made a connection.

"Hello? Could you come to my office, please? Thanks." While he waited, the detective smiled thinking about his suspect.

The door of the office opened up and Detective Toni Brigatti entered.

"Did you want to see me, Paul?"

"Yes, Toni. Please, sit down."

After she becomes very comfortable, he asked with a smile.

"Toni, do you by chance still have that Carmen Sandiego costume that you used at that Halloween party?"

She blinked her bright eyes, divided between surprise and embarrassment. If she had not made that promise to the Halloween party...

"Yes, I still have it. Why?"

"Were you using it recently? On this week, for example?"

"No." she answered, frowning her forehead. "Paul, I am not understanding."

"Well, it's because a mystery woman dressing like that has been following Hobson for the whole town."

"But, what..." She began to understand his partner and said slowly. " Paul, I hope you are not suggesting that such... mysterious woman... is me."

"And it is not?"

"I have better things to do than to fellow Hobson." Brigatti said, a trace of annoyance in her voice.

"Are you sure? Because the handwriting in these cards is very similar to your own."

Brigatti admitted, for her dislike, that the writing was similar, even so she had not written the cards.

"Ok, Toni. If you say so."

She spoke looking at the eyes of her partner. "Paul, I am not interested in Gary Hobson. Is this clear?"

"Sure." But he still looked thoughtfully at policewoman that was leaving his office.

======

In the Meridian Store, a saleswoman assisted a beautiful redhead in a black long coat.

"I will take this blouse." The mystery woman said, aiming her gloved hand to a pretty marine blue blouse that was in the shop window.

"Very well, young lady." The saleswoman added the blouse to the other purchases. "Only this?"

"Yes, that is all."

"Cash or check?"

"Cash."

The mystery admirer looked up, when hearing a sound coming of top. Through the metallic floor, she noticed that the mezzanine of the store was a lot full of goods. "Well, they should know that they are doing." she thought, calming down.

After paying her purchases, she was leaving the store, when she ake a big scare: at two meters for her, talking with the store manager, it was Gary! Quickly, she hid in a clothes try-on room that, by luck, was near.

She noticed that the two men were discussing.

"Mister, you need to remove those people from here..."

"Remove them? In the biggest sales period of the year? Are you crazy?"

"Don't you understand that your superior floor will tumble and hurt at least two people?"

Surprised with the prophecy, the mystery admirer looked up and she saw when the floor began to give away under the weight of the products.

"LOOK OUT!" she yelled, the fear distorting her voice.

Gary and the manager only had time to notice that a very fast lady in black pushed them to the ground, taking them from the way of the roof that collapsed. By reflex, Gary looked at the Paper. The headline now was: "Store roof tumbles. No one hurt." Before he could turned and thank who had saved his life (and give a good look at her face), the woman in the black coat threw a near winter blouse over his head. When Gary removed that of his face, his mystery admirer had disappeared.

======

At five blocks from the commotion, a red-haired woman, wearing a heavy black long coat and a black beret, recovered her breath.

"I hope Gary has not seen me.", she thought. "What a coincidence! That was the last place that I expected to find him... but as he knew that the roof would tumble?"

Even confused, she had reached a conclusion. Raising the closed black-gloved fist to the height of her chest, she decided that that stupid cat-and-mouse game that she had begun would end.

She would go until McGinty's and would tell all the truth to Gary.

======

Later she was in front of McGinty's, gathering her courage. The woman in the black coat layer entered in the bar and went until one of the waitresss.

"Did Mr. Hobson already arrive?"

"I don't think so, young lady. I am not sure."

"Thank you."

Making a decision, Gary's mystery admirer discreetly went until the door of Gary's apartment and climbed the stairway. Maybe surprising him with her presence, did she get at least a small advantage?

She entered in the apartment, and saw that it was really empty. She rehearsed what would say to Gary when she noticed that his brown leather jacket was on the sofa. In a impulse for which she would censored herself bitterly, she took off her coat and dressed the jacket. The mystery woman could feel the scent of her love. She was so sacre when she realized that Gary was coming up the stairs, that she quickly hid behind the sofa. However, in her haste, her bag opened up and a rose fell out of it.

"Meow."

"How was your day?", he ask the orange-tabby cat. The only answer Gary got from the cat was silence. And Gary went into the bathroom. The mystery admirer, now fearing his reaction to her invasion, decided to leave the fastest possible. Quietly, she began to rose up when the Cat leaped in front of her. Putting a hand over her mouth to stop a surprised yell, she dressed her black coat and left the apartment. The Cat saw her departure in silence.

Later when searching for his jacket, Gary saw the Cat beside a rose on the ground.

======

It was only in her apartment, the mystery admirer noticed that was using Gary's jacket.

"Fool! Fool! Fool!", she exclaimed, passing the gloved hands over her red hair. "How could you do a... stupid thing like that! And now!?"

And she had still left the rose in Gary's apartment! She feared what he should be thinking now... How could she repair the situation? That her lack of courage only made worst...

======

In the following day, a very anxious Gary received the Paper, that had the following headline in the page 3: "Mathematician Found Beaten in Alley"

What do you think? Who is your suspect? Next chapter coming soon!

Read and review! :-)